JP2007111251A - Air purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air purifier providing environment which is always sterilized and deodorized, while it is safe to a person and a small animal. <P>SOLUTION: The air purifier is provided with: a person sensing sensor (20) for detecting presence of the person or the animal; a microcomputer (30) which controls the operation of a UV source (12) and a fan motor (24); and a UV source switch (14). When the presence of the person or the animal is not detected at a set time, the microcomputer (30) starts to operate the UV source and the fan motor. When the presence of the person or the animal is detected at the set time, the microcomputer starts to operate the UV source and the fan motor after the presence of the person or animal is not detected, and stops the operation of the UV source and the fan motor after the lapse of a set operation duration time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air purifier, and more particularly to an air purifier that generates ozone by irradiating ultraviolet rays on air and sterilizes and deodorizes the ozone.

  It is well known that ozone is generated when air is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. And ozone is a strong oxidizing agent, and it is also known that this oxidizing power exerts sterilization, disinfection, deodorization, bleaching and analgesic action. In order to generate ozone, in addition to ultraviolet irradiation of air, there are silent discharge in the air, electrolysis of the electrolyte membrane, etc., but ultraviolet irradiation of air is simple, inexpensive and safe. It is expensive and easy to use.

As air purifiers using ozone generated by ultraviolet irradiation of air, those described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are known. This air purifier generates ozone by irradiating air sucked by a fan with an ultraviolet ray source such as an ultraviolet lamp. It is decomposed into oxygen by an ozonolysis catalyst and exhales sterilized and deodorized air. In addition, this air purifier is configured so that a timer works after a predetermined time since the power switch is turned on, and the power switch is turned off so that toxic ozone is not generated more than necessary.
Koichi Arai, Satoshi Watanabe, Takashi Yamamoto, Tomoya Kumagai: Trial manufacture of ozone generator for deodorization and sterilization for prevention of nosocomial infections, Journal of Japanese Dental Instrument Society, No. 6, P.34-36, 2000. Koichi Arai: Dental Materials and Instruments, Vol. 22, No. 2, p. 126, 2003

  However, since the ozone generator and the air cleaner disclosed in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 operate after a person turns on the switch, until the sterilization and deodorization by ozone are completed, There was a problem of having to endure an environment with a lot of bacteria and an unpleasant odor. However, it is not allowed to always produce toxic ozone for sterilization and deodorization. In addition, although the ozone working environment standard is an ozone concentration of 0.1 ppm or less, there is a problem that this ozone concentration is dangerous for small animals such as pets.

  This invention is made in view of the said problem, Comprising: It aims at providing the air cleaner which can implement | achieve the environment always sterilized and deodorized while being safe also to a small animal as well as a human being. .

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention according to claim 1, an inlet for sucking air, an ultraviolet light source for generating ozone by irradiating the sucked air with ultraviolet light, an outlet for discharging air, and a fan for sucking and discharging air An air cleaner comprising: a human sensor for detecting the presence of a person or an animal; and a control means for controlling the operation of the air cleaner, the control means being safe based on the output of the human sensor. The air purifier is activated only when it is confirmed, and the air purifier is deactivated when a set operation duration time elapses.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the control means does not detect the presence of a person or an animal when the set time has elapsed, the air cleaner When the human sensor detects the presence of a person or an animal at the set time, the air cleaner is started after the person or animal cannot be detected. Features.

  In the invention according to claim 3, in the invention according to claim 2, when the control means does not start the operation of the air cleaner due to the presence of a person or animal at the set time, the presence of a person or animal When the remaining time from the time when it is no longer detected until the next set time becomes less than the set value, the current operation of the air purifier is stopped.

  In the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 1, when the control means cannot detect the presence of a person or an animal after detecting the presence of the person or the animal by the person detection sensor, The air cleaner is started to operate.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the air purifier of the invention according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 is fixed to the wall surface by inserting a plug provided on the back surface into an outlet.

  In the invention according to claim 6, in the air cleaner of the invention according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the built-in electrical parts and wiring are waterproofed by coating with resin, and no filter is provided. It is characterized by.

  According to the air cleaner of the first aspect of the present invention, the air cleaner includes a human sensor that detects the presence of a person or an animal, and a control unit that controls an operation of the air cleaner, the control unit including the human sensor. Since the operation of the air purifier is started only when safety is confirmed based on the output of the sensor, sterilization and deodorization can be performed in anticipation of the absence of a person or animal. For this reason, while being safe for humans as well as small animals, a comfortable environment in which sterilization and deodorization are always performed can be obtained. Moreover, since the operation of the air purifier is stopped when the set operation duration time has elapsed, toxic ozone is not excessively generated, and this is also safe.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the control means starts the operation of the air cleaner when the human sensor does not detect the presence of a person or an animal at a set time. When the human sensor detects the presence of a person or animal at the set time, the air cleaner is started after the person or animal cannot be detected. Or, when there is no animal, you can sterilize and deodorize. For this reason, while being safe not only for humans but also for small animals, an environment that is always sterilized and deodorized can be realized more reliably.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the control means further includes the following when the presence of the person or animal cannot be detected when the air purifier is not set due to the presence of the person or animal at the set time. When the remaining time until the set time becomes less than a predetermined value, the operation of the current air cleaner is stopped, so that toxic ozone is not excessively generated and it is safer.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the control means operates the air cleaner when the presence of the person or animal cannot be detected after the presence of the person or animal is detected by the person detection sensor. Even if people or animals enter the room and bacteria enter the room, as soon as the person or animal leaves, the air cleaner is activated and the room air is safely sterilized by ultraviolet rays and ozone. I can smell it. For this reason, while being safe not only for humans but also for small animals, an environment that is always sterilized and deodorized can be realized more reliably.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the air cleaner of the present invention is convenient because it is fixed on the wall surface by inserting a plug provided on the rear surface into the outlet.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the electrical components and wiring incorporated in the air purifier of the present invention are coated with resin to be waterproof, and since no filter is provided, the inside can be easily washed with water. It is easy to maintain. On the other hand, many of the conventional air purifiers use ozone after removing bacteria etc. with a HEPA filter (removable fine particles up to 0.3 μm) or ULPA filter (removable fine particles up to 0.15 μm). Since it is a system to process, bacteria etc. are confined in these filters. Therefore, it was necessary to change the filter from time to time, and maintenance was troublesome.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an air cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the air purifier. FIG. 2 is a side view of the air cleaner. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the air cleaner. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the air cleaner.

  As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, this air purifier 10 is provided at the lower part of the inlet 1 for sucking air, and irradiates the sucked air with ultraviolet rays to generate ozone. An ultraviolet light source 12 for sterilizing and deodorizing air by sterilizing action, an ozone decomposing part 4 provided with an ozone decomposing catalyst for decomposing and removing generated ozone, and a fan 6 for discharging air from which ozone has been removed from an outlet 9 Have. The entrance 3 and the exit 9 are fixed with a lattice 3 that prevents foreign matter from entering. In addition, the air purifier 10 is configured such that a plug 7 provided on the back surface is inserted into an outlet and fixed to a wall surface, and a power source can be obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the air cleaner 10 includes an ultraviolet light source switch 14, an inverter 16, a power supply circuit 18, a human sensor 20, a pilot lamp 22, a fan motor 24 that drives the fan 6, and a manual switch 26. Timer setting means such as a time setting knob 28A and duration setting knob 28B, a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as a microcomputer) 30, and a display unit 38.

  As the ultraviolet source 12, an ultraviolet lamp, an excimer lamp, an ultraviolet LED (light emitting diode), or the like can be used. An ordinary ultraviolet lamp is a discharge tube having a tungsten (W) electrode, filled with about 0.3% of argon (Ar) gas and mercury (Hg) gas, and having an internal pressure of about 50 mmHg.

The ultraviolet lamp used in this example is filled with 0.01% to 0.1% of hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas or hydrogen iodide (HI) gas in addition to argon gas and mercury gas, and gadolinium hexaboride. (GdB ₆ ) electrodes are provided. Since hydrogen chloride gas or hydrogen iodide gas generates an infrared spectrum, the gas in the discharge tube is heated quickly, and reaches a predetermined stable discharge current within one minute to generate desired ozone. In contrast, conventional ultraviolet lamps require several minutes to reach a discharge current that generates desired ozone. For this reason, the ultraviolet lamp of a present Example can implement | achieve power saving. However, if hydrogen chloride gas or hydrogen iodide gas is added too much, the discharge voltage increases, which is uneconomical. In order to reach a predetermined discharge current more quickly, it is desirable to reduce the electrode area to about 50% to 75% of the conventional one and to lower the internal pressure of the discharge tube to 25 mmHg to 35 mmHg than the conventional one. . Further, the gadolinium hexaboride electrode is less susceptible to hydrogen chloride gas or hydrogen iodide gas than the conventional tungsten electrode, and is intended to extend the life of the discharge tube.

  An excimer lamp is an ultraviolet lamp which is made not to use toxic mercury, and contains a mixed gas of anhydrous silver containing a halogen gas and an inert gas. When a discharge tube such as an ultraviolet lamp or an excimer lamp is used as the ultraviolet source 12, it is necessary to insert a ballast (not shown) in series with the discharge tube in order to stabilize the discharge current.

  The power supply circuit 18 converts the power line voltage taken in from the plug 7 into low voltage direct current supplied to the inverter 16, the microcomputer 30, the fan motor 24, and the pilot lamp 22. That is, the power line voltage is lowered by the transformer 18A, rectified by the diode 18B, pulsation is removed by the capacitor 18C and the resistor 18D, and supplied to each device as a complete direct current. The inverter 16 is for boosting the low-voltage direct current to a voltage necessary for the operation of the ultraviolet light source 12. Of course, when the microcomputer 30 incorporates an inverter, the inverter 16 is unnecessary.

  The ultraviolet light source switch 14 is a semiconductor switch such as a switching transistor, and is turned ON / OFF by a command from the microcomputer 30. In addition to the inverter 16, a pilot lamp 22 and a fan motor 24 are connected to the ultraviolet light source switch 14. The pilot lamp 22 indicates that the air cleaner 10 is operating and sterilizing and deodorizing.

  The human sensor 20 detects the presence of a person or animal by detecting infrared rays emitted from the person or animal.

  The microcomputer 30 has a built-in clock, displays the time on the display unit 28, turns on the ultraviolet switch 14 at every set time, lights the ultraviolet source 12, rotates the fan 6, and the air cleaner 10 When the operation continuation time set from the start of operation of the air purifier 10 elapses, the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 is turned off to stop the operation of the air purifier 10 and perform sterilization and deodorization. It ends. However, when the human sensor 20 detects the presence of a person or an animal, the human sensor 20 detects the presence of a human or animal without turning on the ultraviolet light source switch 14 even when the set time is reached. After that, the ultraviolet source switch 14 is turned on to start sterilization and deodorization, and after the set operation duration, the ultraviolet source switch 14 is turned off and the sterilization and deodorization is terminated. Thus, toxic ozone can be prevented from being generated when a person or animal is present, and excessive ozone generation can be prevented to ensure safety.

  The set time for operating the ultraviolet light source 12 and the fan 6 and the operation continuation time can be adjusted according to the size of the room to be sterilized and deodorized by timer setting means such as the time setting key 28A and the duration setting key 28B. To. If the set time interval is too long or the operation duration is too short, the sterilization effect will be insufficient, and if this set time interval is too short or the operation duration is too long, the amount of toxic ozone generated will increase. Because it is dangerous. When the time setting key 28A or the duration setting key 28B is operated, the operated contents are displayed on the display unit 38, and these operations are facilitated.

  The microcomputer 30 and the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 described above constitute control means described in the claims for controlling the operation of the air cleaner 10.

  By the way, this air cleaner 10 is also provided with a manual switch 26, and when pressed, the microcomputer 30 forcibly turns on the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 and starts sterilization and deodorization. However, when the set operation continuation time has elapsed, for the sake of safety, the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 is turned off and the sterilization and deodorization is terminated.

  The air purifier 10 is not provided with a filter, and is waterproofed by completely coating each electrical component and wiring shown in FIG. 2 with silicone resin or urethane resin. .

  Next, a procedure for controlling the operation of the air cleaner 10, that is, the operation of the ultraviolet ray source 12 and the fan 6 performed by the microcomputer 30, will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the plug 7 is inserted into the outlet, the air cleaner 10 starts the operation of the microcomputer 30 and proceeds to step S1 to determine whether or not the set time for sterilizing and deodorizing the room has come. If it is not the set time, step S1 is repeated. When it is the set time, the process proceeds to step S2 and the presence of a person or animal is detected by the human sensor 20. If the presence of a person or animal cannot be detected, the process proceeds to step S3, the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 is turned on, the ultraviolet ray source 12 is turned on, and the fan 6 is driven to start the operation of the air purifier 10 and sterilize it. Do odor. And it progresses to step S4 and it is investigated whether the set operation continuation time of the air cleaner 10 passed. If the set operation continuation time has not elapsed, step S4 is repeated. If the set operation continuation time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S5, the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 is turned OFF, and the air cleaner 10 is operated. Stop and end sterilization and deodorization. Then, the process returns to step S1 and waits for the next set time. Thus, the chamber can be sterilized and deodorized every set time.

  When the presence of a person or animal is detected in step S2, the process proceeds to step S6 to check the remaining time until the next set time. When the remaining time is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S7 in order to avoid excessive ozone generation, and the current sterilization and deodorization is stopped. The predetermined value may be set freely with a key (not shown), but may be set in advance at a predetermined ratio (for example, 30%) of the set time interval. Then, the process returns to step S1 and waits for the next set time.

  If the remaining time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8, and the presence of the person or animal is detected by the human sensor 20. Here, if the presence of a person or animal cannot be detected, the process proceeds to steps S3, S4, and S5 to perform sterilization and deodorization for the operation duration set as described above, and then returns to step S1 to Wait for the set time. When the presence of a person or animal is detected in step S8, the process returns to step S6. Thus, the remaining time becomes less than the predetermined value and the sterilization / deodorization is stopped, or the process waits until the person or animal disappears and the sterilization / deodorization can be started.

  According to the present embodiment, when the presence of a person or animal is not detected when the set time is reached, the operation of the air cleaner 10 is started, and the presence of a person or animal is detected when the set time is reached. In this case, since the operation of the air cleaner 10 is started after the absence of a person or animal, it is possible to safely sterilize and deodorize the room by periodically looking at the absence of a person or animal. For this reason, since the room is always sterilized and deodorized, it is comfortable. In addition, since the air cleaner 10 is deactivated when the set operation continuation time elapses, it is safer without generating excessive toxic ozone.

  In addition, when the air cleaner 10 was not operated due to the presence of a person or animal at the set time, the remaining time from the time when the presence of the person or animal could not be detected until the next set time became less than a predetermined value. Occasionally, this sterilization and deodorization is stopped, so that toxic ozone is not excessively generated and is safer.

  Further, the air purifier 10 is convenient without taking up space because it is fixed to the wall surface by plugging the plug 7 provided on the back into the outlet. Furthermore, since the air cleaner 10 is not provided with a filter and the electrical components and wiring inside thereof are completely waterproofed, the inside of the air cleaner 10 can be easily washed with water by sending a water flow to the inside. Maintenance is extremely easy.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, when the microcomputer 30 cannot detect the presence of a person or an animal after detecting the presence of the person or the animal by the human detection sensor 20, the microcomputer 30 starts the operation of the air cleaner 10 and sets the time. This is the same as the first embodiment except that the key 28A (see FIGS. 1 and 3) is unnecessary. Below, based on the flowchart of FIG. 5, the procedure which controls the operation | movement of the ultraviolet-ray source 12 and the fan 6 which the microcomputer 30 performs is demonstrated.

  When the air cleaner 10 according to the present embodiment starts operation, the process proceeds to step S11, and the human sensor 20 detects the presence of a person or an animal. If the presence of a person or animal cannot be detected, step S11 is repeated. When the presence of a person or animal is detected, the process proceeds to step S12, and the presence of the person or animal is detected again by the person detection sensor 20. Here, if the presence of a person or animal can be detected, step S12 is repeated. If the presence of a person or animal cannot be detected, the process proceeds to step S13, where the ultraviolet light source switch 14 is turned on to start sterilization and deodorization. And it progresses to step S14 and it is investigated whether the set operation continuation time of the air cleaner 10 passed. When the set operation continuation time has not elapsed, step S14 is repeated. When the set operation continuation time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S15, where the ultraviolet ray source switch 14 is turned OFF and the sterilization and deodorization is terminated. . Then, the process returns to step S1 and waits for the next set time.

  According to this embodiment, even if a person enters the room and bacteria enter the room, as soon as the person leaves, the air cleaner 10 is activated to safely sterilize the room air with ultraviolet rays and ozone. I can smell it. For this reason, since the room is always sterilized and deodorized, it is comfortable. In addition, since the air cleaner 10 is deactivated when the set operation continuation time elapses, it is safer without generating excessive toxic ozone.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a front view of the air cleaner. FIG. 7 is a side view of the air cleaner. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the air purifier.

  As shown in FIGS. 6-8, this air cleaner 10 is comprised integrally with the night light 31 provided with the night lamp 32 and the night light main switch 36, and has provided the additional outlet 8 on the side surface. It can also supply power to other electrical equipment. However, the air purifier 10 includes a filter 2 that removes dust and bacteria in the sucked air, and is not waterproof and cannot be washed with water.

  The night lamp switch 34 is a semiconductor switch such as a switching transistor, and is turned ON / OFF according to a command from the microcomputer 30. The night light main switch 36 is also provided. When the night light main switch 36 is turned off, the night lamp 32 is always turned off. When the night light main switch 36 is turned on, the microcomputer 30 detects the person or the person. When the presence of an animal is detected, the night lamp switch 34 is turned on and the night lamp 32 is turned on. When the human sensor 20 cannot detect the presence of a person or animal, the night lamp switch 34 is turned off and the night lamp 32 is turned on. It also turns off. As described above, the human sensor 20 can be used as the air cleaner 10 and the night light 31, which is economical.

  Except for the above points, the air cleaner 10 is the same as the first embodiment or the second embodiment. In the case of the present embodiment, although it takes time and effort to replace the filter 2, the same effects as the above-described embodiments can be obtained. Moreover, it is convenient to have a night light 31 and an additional outlet 8.

  By the way, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible as follows, for example.

  The air cleaner 10 according to the first embodiment is dedicated to a room having a predetermined area, and preset operation setting time and operation duration time of the air cleaner 10 are set, and a time setting key 28A, The duration setting key 28B and the display unit 38 may be omitted. Similarly, the air purifier 10 of the second embodiment is also dedicated to a room of a predetermined area, and a predetermined operation duration time of the air purifier 10 is set, and the time setting key 28A, continuation is set. The time setting key 28B and the display unit 38 may be omitted. If the chamber is large, a plurality of air purifiers 10 may be used.

  Further, it is not necessary to determine the operation start timing of the air cleaner 10 as in the above embodiments, and when the air contamination is measured and this contamination exceeds a predetermined value, the human sensor 20 If the presence of a person or animal cannot be detected, the operation of the air cleaner 10 may be started.

  Further, since the air purifier 10 of each embodiment operates only when there is no person or animal, there is little problem even if ozone is released into the room, and the ozone decomposing unit 4 of each embodiment can be omitted. Good. In this case, since it is sterilized and deodorized with ozone to every corner of the room, there is a further effect of sterilizing and deodorizing. There is no problem because the ozone released into the room is ventilated after a while.

  Furthermore, instead of the night light 31 in the third embodiment, appropriate electric devices such as a gas leak alarm, a fire alarm, and a security alarm may be incorporated.

It is a front view of the air cleaner which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a side view of the air cleaner. It is a block diagram of the air cleaner. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the said air cleaner. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the air cleaner which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a front view of the air cleaner which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. It is a side view of the air cleaner. It is a block diagram of the air cleaner.

Explanation of symbols

1 Inlet 6 Fan 7 Plug 9 Outlet 10 Air Purifier 12 Ultraviolet Source 14 Ultraviolet Source Switch (Control Unit)
20 human sensor 30 microcomputer (control means)

Claims (6)

In an air purifier comprising an inlet for sucking air, an ultraviolet light source for generating ozone by irradiating the sucked air with ultraviolet rays, an outlet for discharging air, and a fan for sucking and discharging air,
A human sensor for detecting the presence of a person or an animal, and control means for controlling the operation of the air purifier,
The control means starts the operation of the air cleaner only when safety is confirmed based on the output of the human sensor, and stops the operation of the air cleaner when a set operation duration has elapsed. And air purifier.   The control means starts operating the air purifier when the human sensor does not detect the presence of a person or an animal at a set time, and at the set time, 2. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein when the detection sensor detects the presence of a person or an animal, the air cleaner is started after the presence of the person or the animal cannot be detected.   The control means does not start the operation of the air cleaner due to the presence of a person or animal at the set time, and the remaining time from when it becomes impossible to detect the presence of a person or animal until the next set time. 3. The air purifier according to claim 2, wherein when the air purifier becomes less than a set value, the current operation of the air purifier is stopped.   2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the presence of the person or the animal cannot be detected after the presence of the person or the animal is detected by the person detection sensor, the control unit starts the operation of the air cleaner. The air purifier described.   The air cleaner according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the air cleaner is fixed to a wall surface by inserting a plug provided on the back into an outlet.   The air cleaner according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the built-in electrical component and wiring are waterproofed by coating with a resin and no filter is provided.

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